Comic Books Research Articles

Comics and American Cultural Policy

Abstract This review considers the contributions of two 2021 monographs—Christopher J. Gilbert’s Caricature and National Character: The United States at War and Paul Hirsch’s Pulp Empire: A Secret History of Comic Book Imperialism—each of which examines the role of cartooning in shaping attitudes towards warfare, imperialism, and nationalism in the US in the twentieth century.The highly repetitive and remarkably codified nature of the comic-book story is . . . the thing that made it attractive for propagandistic purposes.

A CO-CREATED PROJECT OF LEGAL DESIGN AND VISUAL LAW APPLIED TO INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW: TRANSFORMATION OF THE ESCAZÚ AGREEMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACCESS RIGHTS INTO VISUAL MATERIALS FOR AND WITH THE CHIQUITANO PEOPLE

Legal Design (LD) and Visual Law (VL) are two instruments that can be used in favor of elaborating on clearer and more transparent, and adequate legal solutions for the law recipients, the legal entities, and society at large. This article will explain the project “Legal Design and Visual Law in International Environmental Law: Conversion of the Escazú Agreement into Visual Materials for and with the Chiquitano People”. The objective of the project was to teach students, in practice, an efficient method to create understanding and engagement in Environmental Law. Simultaneously, the project aimed to support the coproduction of didactic materials for and with the Chiquitano people, which could act as a tool for strengthening environmental participation. This paper also aims to outline the different steps of the project by clarifying the methods and methodology of co-creation used. The article is divided into 3 sections: an overview of the concepts of LD and VL (section 1), the requisite steps LD and VL (section 2) and lastly, the paper demonstrates how these steps have been applied to the co-creation of the comic book (section 3).

Pengaruh Media Komik dan Poster pada Penyuluhan Gizi terhadap Pengetahuan Gizi Seimbang Anak Panti Asuhan

Multiple nutritional issues are currently facing school-age children, namely undernutrition and overnutrition induced by poor awareness of healthy nutrition guidelines. The research objective was to assess the effectiveness of the use of comic book media on the healthy nutritional awareness of children relative to poster media. This research style is a quasi-experimental design with a control pre-post examination. The research site, conducted in October 2020, was located in 2 orphanages in Ambon Region. The subjects were orphanage children with an age span of 7-17 years, with a total of 60 individuals. In healthy nutrition therapy. Children's awareness was assessed by a questionnaire at the beginning of the research. On the second day of the study, care was provided in the form of healthy nutrition therapy, divided into two classes, namely the comic group and the poster group. The paired sample t-test and separate t-test samples were used for data analysis. The findings showed that the creation of healthy nutrition awareness in the intervention and control group study subjects caused a substantial difference in the comic and poster media (p<0.05). There is a significant effect of increasing knowledge of balanced nutrition in orphanage children before and after being given comics and poster media.

Of Auction Records and Non-Fungible Tokens: On the New Valences of Superhero Comics

This article examines a recent form of marketing superhero comics that has garnered extensive media attention and has been promoted as the next big step in comics production: the decision by companies like Marvel Comics and DC Comics to offer selections of their intellectual properties as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Focusing specifically on Marvel Comics’ collaboration with the VeVe app, which serves as a digital auction house through which customers can buy comics and related merchandise, this article suggests that we are witnessing the popularization of an already popular product (superhero comics) in a process that is indicative of larger transformations of the popular. As an agent of such transformations, superhero comics were introduced in the 1930s and 40s as a “low medium” with mass appeal that was critically devalued by proponents of high culture, but they are now widely celebrated as a “popular medium.” We argue that this transformation from a popular but devalued (“low”) product to a popular and culturally valued (but not necessarily “high” cultural) artifact marks a shift from qualitative to quantitative valuation that was driven at least in part by popular practices of collecting, archiving, and auctioning that have enabled the ongoing adaptation of these comics to new social, technological, and media demands. The article uses the newsworthiness of big auction sales and the sky-rocketing prices that well-preserved comic books can garner as a framework for assessing the appearance of superhero NFTs and for gauging the implications of this new media form for the cultural validation of comics.

MENUMBUHKAN BUDAYA LITERASI MEMBACA DALAM PEMBELAJARAN BAHASA INDONESIA UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KETERAMPILAN MEMBACA PADA ANAK USIA SEKOLAH DASAR

Low literacy skills lead to low interest in reading among students, especially elementary school children. One of the government's steps in an effort to increase students' interest in reading is the School Literacy Movement (GLS) program. The effort made is by reading for 15 minutes, the books read start from story books and comic books according to what elementary school children like. The purpose of this research is to foster students' interest in reading which has been lost due to the influence of globalization in this modern era. Where elementary school children nowadays play gadgets more often than reading books, especially their school books. This study used a qualitative approach with the library research method. The object of study and data analysis is carried out by reviewing several relevant journals and various reports related to the problem to be solved. The results of the study show that the literacy movement can foster interest in reading in elementary school students. Because in general children like to read stories, such as comic stories or fables that have interesting pictures.

“The Last Word” from The Source: André LeRoy Davis’ contributions to Hip Hop and comics

ABSTRACT André LeRoy Davis is best known as the creator of ‘The Last Word,’ a series of one-page comic illustrations that were featured on the last page of The Source magazine. They were published non-stop in countless issues of this Hip Hop periodical from September 1990 to January 2007. This article is a compilation of edited excerpts from an interview session conducted during the winter of 2020. It was held shortly after the Schomburg Center’s Annual Black Comic Book Festival in Harlem, New York. The conversation focuses on how André’s experiences during his formative and adult years inspire his comic art content. We discuss his family’s origins in Barbados; his experiences growing up in Brooklyn, New York; the Hip Hop culture within the High School of Art & Design when he was a student; his earliest experiences as a professional freelance artist; and the evolution of his creative process.

ОБРАЗ "СВОЕГО" И "ДРУГОГО" ВО ФРАНЦУЗСКОЙ КАРИКАТУРЕ НАЧАЛА XX ВЕКА (НА ПРИМЕРЕ ИЛЛЮСТРАЦИЙ САТИРИЧЕСКОГО ЖУРНАЛА "L’ASSIETTE AU BEURRE")

The article is devoted to the study of tools for constructing images of «one’s own» and «the other» through caricature of thefirst decade of the 20th century. The study is based on the analysis of satirical plots of the comic magazine L’ assiette au Beurre. The author considers the distinctive features of an illustrative publication, analyzes the main forms of displaying the key elements of comic plots, identifies the basic artistic techniques and methods for conveying the semantic component of visual material to the viewer. On the basis of the studied materials, an attempt is made to determine the influence of the domestic political process and the international situation on the transformation of caricature images of the era.

Qualitative Comic Book Mapping: Developing Comic Books Informed by Lived Experiences of Refugee Youth to Advance Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Stigma Reduction in a Humanitarian Setting in Uganda

Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a persistent concern in humanitarian contexts, yet there is a dearth of SGBV prevention and post-rape clinical care interventions tailored for refugee youth. Graphic medicine, the use of images and text such as in comic books, has been employed to depict lived experiences to promote health, wellbeing, and education. Comic books provide a low-cost, youth-friendly approach to health promotion that is accessible to varying literacy levels. Limited research, however, has described the process of developing graphic medicine approaches for SGBV prevention and sexual violence stigma reduction with and for refugee youth in humanitarian settings. To address this knowledge gap, this paper shares a Qualitative Comic Book Mapping approach, whereby qualitative data alongside theoretical and empirical SGBV literature informed the development of comic book scenarios with refugee youth aged 16-24 in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement, Uganda. Steps included conducting focus groups and in-depth individual interviews with 78 community members (youth, elders, service providers) in Bidi Bidi to explore SGBV lived experiences among refugee youth in Bidi Bidi and ideas for solutions to reduce SGBV and related stigma, in addition to improving post-rape care experiences and engagement. The Qualitative Comic Book Mapping approach involved: a) thematic analysis of qualitative data and identification of overarching themes; b) aligning qualitative themes with theories of change for SGBV prevention and stigma reduction; and c) co-developing comic book scenarios with refugee youth peer navigators and community experts to integrate SGBV prevention and stigma reduction theory with refugee youth lived experiences. The final comic book involved five youth-focused scenarios and was integrated in an intervention with refugee youth, including providing youth with a blank version of the comic book to complete themselves. We share how theoretically-informed comic books can be developed from qualitative data with refugee youth in a humanitarian setting.

Collective biographies and transnational history in Primavere e autunni, Chinamen and La macchina zerø

ABSTRACT The article investigates three comic books written and illustrated by Ciaj Rocchi and Matteo Demonte, namely Primavere e autunni [Springs and autumns] (2015), Chinamen. Un secolo di cinesi a Milano [Chinamen. A century of Chinese people in Milan] (2017), and La macchina zerø. Mario Tchou e il primo computer Olivetti [Machine zero. Mario Tchou and the first Olivetti computer] (2021). The three texts provide graphic accounts of the establishment of a Chinese community in Italy using biographic narrations. The article analyses the three comics and their paratextual apparatuses, focusing on the authors’ documentarist approach, the ways in which personal biographies are embedded in the story of Italy’s resident Chinese community and in the history of Italy, and finally on the comics’ intergenerational and diasporic testimonial value. Drawing on Hirsch’s articulation of postmemory, on Mickwitz’s analysis of comics as documentaries and archives, and on Nabizadeh’s emphasis on comics as alternate narratives and memories, the article argues that Rocchi and Demonte’s comic books while narrating private stories provide a visual representation of the history of modern Italy as grounded in transnational connections and are inherently multicultural.

Digital reading of literary works in comics format during the COVID-19 pandemic

As social distancing was officially recognized worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the physical presence of teachers and students in the traditional classroom has been abruptly replaced by a digital environment in an online class. Visual literacy is directly related to understanding that visual information is an ornament of verbal information and a semiotic element that adds meaning to the text. Due to the multimodal language of comics, which provides a fruitful situation for constructing meaning during remote emergency learning, the relevance of the topic has been verified. Thus, this paper aims to present insights concerning the use of classic literature in comic book format. In this sense, the theoretical basis was built with the contributions of authors who corroborate the discussions presented here, anchored in the proposal of a didactic sequence carried out with elementary school students in the city of Barra do Garças - MT (Brazil), amid the pandemic context. The results revealed a change in the student's perception, even though the verbal language is predominant over the image. Regarding the classic literary works, it was noticed that the language change facilitated the understanding of the text read, making the reading enjoyable and exciting and making a bridge between past and present.

Adolescent leisure reading and its longitudinal association with prosocial behavior and social adjustment

Reading is a popular leisure activity for children, teenagers, and adults. Several theories agree that reading might improve social cognition, but the empirical evidence remains tentative, with research on adolescents especially lacking. We employed a very large, and nationally representative, longitudinal dataset from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) in Germany to examine this hypothesis. Specifically, we tested whether reading prospectively predicted future self-reported prosocial behavior and social adjustment in adolescents, controlling for a number of covariates. Two-way cross-lagged panel analyses probed the longitudinal relationship between leisure reading and these social outcomes from Grade 6 to Grade 9. In addition, we examined the effect of cumulative reading experience across Grades 5–8 on future social outcomes, using structural equation modeling. We also explored the unique contributions of cumulative reading experience in different literary genres (classic literature, popular literature, nonfiction, comic books). Cumulative reading in general did not predict future prosocial behavior and social adjustment. However, cumulative reading of modern classic literature was positively associated with later prosocial behavior and social adjustment.Protocol registrationThe stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 08 November 2021. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/KSWY7.

Batman forever? The role of trademarks for reuse in the US comics industry

We study how trademarks affect reuse of creative works in the comics industry. As a creative industry, the comics industry systematically relies on copyrights. But trademark protection can also be exploited to generate income from the reuse of comic characters or to strategically exclude others from reuse. Our unique data set combines US trademark records of comic characters with information on reuse in print media and franchise products from 1990 to 2017. We find that, on average, additional trademark protection is associated with a reduction in reuse in printed comic books of about 19%. We highlight three mechanisms: first, the negative relationship between trademarking and reuse has been especially pronounced since the early 2000s, when the arrival of digital technologies lowered the costs of entry, promotion, and distribution. Second, our results are driven by less reuse by third parties, not trademark holders. Third, reuse is higher when trademark owners license comic characters to third parties. The negative association between trademarking and reuse carries over to franchise products, but it is weaker and tied to the era of digitization, with a 2% decline in reuse in franchise movies and 9% lower reuse in video games.

The Correlation between Language Skill and the Brain in the Second Verse of Surah Yusuf l ‘Alaqah al-Maharah al-Lughawiyyah wa al-‘Aql fi Surah Yusuf al-Ayah al-Tsaniyyah

Arabic language had linguistic skills in its application. The Second Ayah (verse) of Surah Yusuf informed that there was a correlation between language skill and the brain. In terms of semantics, the choice of pronunciation and word in Al-Qur’an was based on the reason and the wisdom behind it. This article is necessary for language learning research by using neurology as a new approach in language skills learning. This article aimed to analyze and reveal a correlation and an appropriateness between the language skills in the Arabic language and the process of the human mind as mentioned in Surah Yusuf, the second verse. The data and evidence were obtained from books related to the subject of the research, a dialogical analysis between three scientific disciplines, such as commentary books, Arabic learning and neurology, with the method of content analysis of Al-Quran. The results of this research showed that the appropriateness of language skills in the Arabic language and the process of the human mind based on Surah Yusuf at the second verse were achieved. This result was reached based on three aspects, and it is from the opinions of scholars, interpreters, linguistics, and neurology. On the other hand, it was confirmed through this scientific research that there is no contradiction between the correct transmission and the frank reason. This article confirmed that the learning theory about maharah lughawiyah has the correlation with the workings of the human brain, according to what was stated in Surah Yusuf at the second verse.

Poland as Gilead. Pop culture fiction and performative protests in the era of the pandemic

The use of iconic popular culture symbols is an increasingly common strategy applied by social protest organizers. The Guy Fawkes mask from the ‘V for Vendetta’ comic book became a symbol of the Anonymous group, and later of the Occupy Wall Street movement. The Salvador Dalí mask, popularized in the ‘La casa de papel’ Netflix series, was used in street protests in Spain and Italy. Motifs taken from the HBO adaptation of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ novel gained high visibility in thousands of women’s protests against the introduction of the de facto abortion ban in Poland. Basing on images documenting the Polish protests published in social media, we demonstrate how popular culture symbols are transformed into cultural codes which bridge on-street and online protest actions. This connection has become crucial in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using qualitative visual content analysis, we prepared a classification of the symbols employed. Our contribution to the theory of performative protests is to reveal the importance of analogies with the political series that Polish protesters have used by means of the general connotation: Poland is Gilead.

The image ratios for designing cute nonhuman anthropomorphic characters

Nonhuman anthropomorphic characters have found wide use in various entertainment media, particularly animations, comic books, and games, and the designs of these characters are becoming increasingly diverse. This study employed the baby schema concept to explore the eye, mouth, head, body, and limb designs and body proportions of nonhuman anthropomorphic characters, all of which influence their image styles. The study examined the appearances of popular, cute nonhuman characters to identify the design rationale for various image styles. The relationship between cute nonhuman characters and their images of cuteness was explored in two stages. First, the study conducted a focus group interview and cluster analysis to identify five popular styles of cuteness, namely, innocent, childlike, funny, energetic, and ridiculous. Subsequently, the study administered a questionnaire and obtained 200 valid responses. The results indicated that the five image styles feature unique eye and mouth characteristics and distinct head-to-body and limb proportions. The design rationale for each identified image style of nonhuman characters provides a reference for designing exceptional characters that exemplify various trends of cuteness, which, thereby, enables businesses to seize the market opportunities created by emerging entertainment media industries.

Exploring Interactivity in Digital Comics

The digital revolution has reconditioned our media landscape, instigating hybridity in traditional forms and reshaping the nature of storytelling through enhanced interactivity. This paper scrutinizes the transformative interplay of digital technologies and comic books, engendering new media narrative forms such as interactive comics and redefining conventional sequential storytelling. As a reflection of this evolution, comic books, long recognized as sequential art, have broadened their narrative scope by integrating elements of motion, interactivity, and game-like attributes. This research explores four distinct types of digital comics: Meanwhile: An Interactive Comic Book (Zarfhome Software, 2018), Framed (Noodlecake Studios, 2014), Florence (Mountains Studio, 2018), and Our Plague Year (Burton, 2022). By adopting Sheldon’s categories of interactivity and Lebowitz and Klug's interactive story spectrum, we analyze these stories' levels of interactivity and linearity. The findings indicate that the complexity, diversity, and multitude of reader agency do not necessarily render a story interactive in terms of content. While these digital comics vary significantly in design, most still adhere to a traditional linear narrative framework despite the diversity and many interactive elements. Only “Meanwhile: An Interactive Comic Book” deviates from linearity, manifesting non-linear, web-like narrative structures and branching story paths. This analysis unravels the nuanced hybridization of digital media and comic books, illuminating how digital technologies reshape and augment our narrative practices. The digital revolution has not only brought about a new storytelling habitat but also expanded our understanding of co-authorship, thus pushing the boundaries of sequential storytelling in an ever-evolving digital culture. It also highlights the importance of recognizing the differences between interacting with the medium and interacting with the story itself. Consequently, this research contributes to the understanding of the intricate relationship between digital technologies, interactivity, and sequential storytelling, paving the way for further exploration in the field of digital comics.

Pendidikan Karakter Sosial Qur'ani: Studi Tafsir Surat Al-Hujurat Ayat 11-13

This study explores the values of social character education in Surah Al-Hujurat verses 11-13. This study uses the library research method by utilizing two commentary books classified as works of classical and contemporary interpretation, namely, the interpretation of Ibn Kathir and Al-Azhar. The results of this study found that Al-Hujurat verses 11-13 contain meaning in the form of teachings and social values as the basis for carrying out a humane society. Education and social values are stored in various prohibition states with many positive values. The ban consists of several behaviors not insulting fellow human beings, self-reproach and others, prejudice, spreading false news, looking for other people's faults, and various derived behaviors. Implementing all forms of prohibition has an orientation towards forming individual social character, which is the basis for carrying out social life.

Storying species extinction in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame

This article places two Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, Avengers: Infinity War () and Avengers: Endgame (), in dialogue with the Marvel comic books on which they are based. As this article demonstrates, in their depiction of Thanos and the partial species extinction event, the films deviate substantially from their source material to reflect a contemporary cultural interest and growing anxiety over the real-world threat of species extinction. However, as this article argues, Avengers: Infinity War’s and Avengers: Endgame’s ecocritical potential are limited, owing partly to the villain’s role in superhero films and comic books more broadly. Limits also owe to the anthropocentric viewpoint that underwrites much of superhero fiction. Superheroes may serve a conservative function as an upholder of the social order, but, as this article shows, in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, as well as films and television series in the MCU set thereafter, this function often comes at the detriment of the conservation of nature and species-other-than-human.

Superheroes and Nazis: Re-examining the legacy of the Second World War in Eric Kripke’s The Boys

The television adaptation of The Boys, originally a comic book series written by Garth Ennis, has garnered attention for its graphic violence and satirical treatment of the superhero genre. The Boys engages with a number of critiques of the superhero genre and its tropes, one of which is the recurring presence of a Nazi supervillain. This article links The Boys to previous examples of comic books and screen adaptations which feature Nazis or similar fascist organizations, such as Captain America, Superman and X-Men. In particular, it argues that The Boys’s status as a subversive superhero narrative impacts the portrayal of Nazism in new ways, further troubling the distinction between superhero and supervillain and providing insight into contemporary cultural concerns. Through its representation of the superhero origin story and the Nazi character Stormfront, The Boys draws upon the memories of the Second World War in order to condemn the rise of fascism in the twenty-first century. Despite this ostensibly worthy goal, it is also important to consider criticisms of this type of representation of the historically specific atrocities of the Second World War, the role of exploitation and its resulting reception by viewers.

The Comic Book Western: New Perspectives on a Global Genre ed. by Christopher Conway and Antoinette Sol (review)

The Comic Book Western: New Perspectives on a Global Genre ed. by Christopher Conway and Antoinette Sol (review)